At a tiny event in Miami, R&B singer-songwriter Alicia Keys led a few hundred people through a 10-minute meditation before asking them to make some decisions.
Keys wanted people attending an interactive installation on the eve of Art Basel Miami Beach to hear her new work and then choose between the peaceful piano versions she’s renowned for or the more-produced tracks with a different tempo for the same songs.
“I say that’s even,” Keys replied, looking shocked after singing and playing parts of “Is it Insane,” a jazzy and melancholy song. The three tracks she teased will be on her upcoming album, which will be published on December 10 in two versions, dubbed “Originals” and “Unlocked” by Mike WiLL Made-It.
Keys led an interactive art performance at Superblue Miami, wearing a long tail yellow dress and appearing as one of the key performers traveling down to Miami for the international art fair, which runs from Thursday through Saturday.
Tinie Tempah was one of the artists who attended the “secret” Alicia Keys event, which took place in a dark room with sunflowers projected on the walls. Maluma, Pharrell, and Joe Jonas were among the celebrities that attended a Louis Vuitton fashion show the night before.
Keys and her husband, producer Swizz Beatz, are no strangers to the art festival, having previously aided struggling artists by enabling them to keep 100% of their show commissions.
James Turrell’s installation, which comprised a room with the floor, walls, and ceiling fully lighted up in uniform neon hues that at times appeared misty and made it impossible to determine where the space stopped, was one among the installations at the exhibit where Keys performed. There was also a mirror maze that resembled a tree’s respiratory system.
Keys instructed attendees to inhale and exhale at the same rate as the mechanical flowers suspended from the ceiling opened and closed during the evening’s meditation. They resembled jellyfish in the ocean, according to Keys.